Reprise: Federal Involvement In The School Curriculum

Abstract

Among the several aspects of schooling that periodically catch the attention of the American public, the school curriculum is a repeat performer and often a winner. We have a long history of indictments about the curriculum issuing from blue ribbon committees, individual critics, and the popular press. On the whole this restlessness is a healthy sign in our democracy, a recognition that the school curriculum is a living entity rather than a cultural artifact, subject to subtle changes and recurrently in need of scrutiny. The classic curriculum question-What knowledge is of most worth?-can and should be debated perenially. A sign of the times, two other questions have assumed equal importance of late: Who shall decide what knowledge is of most worth?, and How shall knowledge be distributed to a diverse population? This philosophical, political, social triumvirate sets the agenda for the contemporary debate on the curriculum. This special issue of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis devotes a series of papers to the Federal Government's role in curriculum development. The National Institute of Education commissioned these papers in the interest of stimulating discussion on this topic. The monograph by Myron Atkin and Ernest House provides an historical account of the Federal Government's various initiatives in curriculum development, an assessment of policy and program effectiveness, and recommendations for a future role. Included next are four reactions to the monograph. The authors, Hendrik Gideonse, John Goodlad, Don Schon, and Lawrence Senesh, were invited to critique the AtkinHouse paper and to propose recommendations of their own for government policy in this area. The remainder of this introduction briefly orients the reader to four cross-cutting issues addressed in these papers.